The Heir to Pyrus
by Wolv8
Summary: Dan was your typical student, until one day he starts receiving strange messages from someone by the name of 'Apollonir'. How will Dan react when he finds out he's the heir to an ancient throne, with power over flames, and is engaged, no less? Will he able to escape his new-found responsibility or will he have to face the fire as the heir to Pyrus? *DISCONTINUED*
1. Chapter 1

**Author's notes** : This is my edited/continued version of my Bakugan fanfiction _The Chosen One_ , written on my old account: 'The Ventus Attribute'. It didn't quite fit in the description and isn't letting me put the full link in here so I shall try to put the link on my profile or something. I shall mention this story on my old account as well.

I wrote it a couple of years ago so my writing isn't quite the same, and as I mentioned I'm continuing it but under a slightly different plot and title on this account. I'll try to keep it as true to the original as possible, but it will naturally have some differences, due to it being a new version. When writing this previously, I was ecstatic about and had a lot of fun writing the conversations between the characters. I am aware that I used to focus a lot more on those in the previous version of this though, so I'll actually make it more plot based etc. this time.

Here we go!

* * *

 **The Heir to Pyrus  
**

* * *

Summary: Dan was your typical student, until one day he starts receiving strange messages from someone by the name of 'Apollonir'. How will Dan react when he finds out he's the heir to an ancient throne, with power over flames, and is engaged, no less? Will he able to escape his new-found responsibility or will he have to face the fire as heir to Pyrus?

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Disclaimer: I don't own Bakugan.

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 **Chapter 1**

* * *

 _Dan's POV_

 _Buzz… Buzz_

"Dan, your phone again..." Drago groaned.

"Huh?" I asked, still groggy from sleep. "Oh right. Sorry if I woke you."

"Is it the same guy again?"

I checked my phone; the bright light momentarily blinding me. "Yep."

 _Sender_ : Apollonir  
 _Reciever_ : Daniel Kuso

Dan… I know you've been ignoring my messages. Answer me already! You can only avoid your responsibility for so long; why not accept it? I mean it's not as if it's a big deal or anything like that. I've been doing it for ages. It's your turn now. Come on, if I don't get you here soon, your mother will get mad at me again… And woah. She's been on my case for the last 16 years now… Since you were taken to Earth. So come back already! I'll see you soon.

Regards, Apollonir.

I grimaced. "This guy still thinks we're related or something. And apparently I'm not from Earth? I don't know Drago. This guy has been sending me spam messages for far too long, I swear. Do you have any idea why?"

Drago responded, "I've heard about an ancient Pyrus Bakugan called Apollonir before but I've got no idea what he would want with you, and I certainly don't know why he thinks you're related. Rumours say he's no longer in Vestroia anymore either, so I don't know where he would be contacting you from."

"Eurgh all this thinking is giving me a headache, and it's… 3am! Crap, I need to get back to sleep. School starts in a few hours. First of the new year. I'll talk you soon buddy, night!" I exclaimed.

"Night, partner."

It had been a few years since all of the battles with Naga and the fight for Vestroia. We've had to deal with a lot of things since then as well, such as the invasion of New Vestroia. Fortunately, after things calmed down, the Shun, Marucho and I, as members of the Battle Brawlers, got to return to Earth; all with our partners in tow. During our original fights we were often joined by some other Brawlers, but we lost contact with them all in the end. I remembered some things about them, like that one with the beautiful blue hair, but nothing else. It's like we'd had our memories erased or something.

 _Runo's POV_

"What's wrong, can't sleep?"

"Would you be able to in my situation, Tigrerra?"

"No, I suppose not. I mean, you're going to be in the same year as that guy from all those years ago; the one you helped beat Naga with. It's a shame he won't remember you though."

"It had to be done," I shrugged. "It would be disastrous if he were to remember all I've told him, after all. That I'm the princess of Haos, heir to the throne, and that our parents have set up an arranged marriage between us. He wasn't powerful or mature enough to hold that responsibility."

"That's true. Anyway, Runo, shouldn't you get to sleep? It's getting rather late and you don't want to mess up on your first day of the new school year. You are the most popular girl in school, after all. Then there's your prince charming to impress after all," she teased.

I blushed. I don't quite know how I became so popular but before I knew it, I was even getting sent fan mail! You'd think it was great to be so popular but not when you're often getting swamped by people, and also when you have to turn down so many people who ask for dates. You can't date others when you're already engaged after all.

"I don't like him, okay? It's an arranged marriage. Nothing more," I responded quickly, blushing even more furiously.

"That's not what your face tells me."

Tigrerra's really merciless with her teasing sometimes. The truth is, I don't actually feel anything like that for Dan. I'd consider him a friend a most, but boyfriend, and even husband? Not happening.

I shook my head, discouraging such thoughts. After all, whether I like it or not, we're engaged. The only way to stop the marriage if he was romantically interested in another member of royalty… Like the prince of Ventus, perhaps. What's the chance of him being interested in guys though? Maybe my feelings for Dan will change one day, though I've got no idea about his feelings on the matter.

* * *

 _A few hours later_

 _Dan's POV_

"Ah, beautiful weather we're having Drago, isn't it?" I asked, unaware of what was about to transpire.

"Dan, heads up!" shouted Shun from across the hallway.

"AAARGH" I screamed, as the ball headed towards me.

"Hey Dan," I heard Marucho greet, pleasantly, before realising I was on the floor. "Um… What are you doing down there?"

"Why don't you ask Mr. Hot-shot over there" I snapped, glaring at Shun, now joined by Drago and Skyruss, who were all cracking up.

"Um… Sorry Dan," Marucho timidly apologised.

"Nah, sorry, I didn't mean to snap. I shouldn't take out my anger at them on you–"

I was interrupted from what I was about to say by the bell signalling the first lesson. "C'mon bud, we don't want to be late for this lesson. You know how our English teacher gets if we're late for her lessons."

We shared a laugh.

"Let's go!" I exclaimed.

Despite our running, we ended up being famously late for the lesson. Marucho got off the hook, as he's normally a good student, but me however... Let's just say I didn't miss the glare that was sent my way by the teacher. Now here we were. Me being bored by the teacher's constant droning.

"Who can tell me when Metaphysical poetry was first written? We started this last lesson and I set it for homework so you should be able to–"

 _Ring Ring_

"Well it looks like _Mr Kuso_ seems to know the answer, considering he's no longer paying attention," the teacher sneered over in my direction.

I groaned. Of all lessons my phone had to go off, it had to be this one. _This is a detention for sure. Curse my luck for forgetting to turn it off_ , I sighed mentally.

"The answer please, Daniel?"

"Um… the 19th century?"

"You're a couple of centuries off," one of the students laughed.

I blushed in embarrassment. Great. The first day of the new school year and I've already got a detention and humiliated myself in class.

 _I may as well check the sender_ , I decided. _It better not be-_

Yep. It was that spam messenger, 'Apollonir,' yet again.

"Well if you're so interested in checking that phone of yours instead of doing your homework, then you're getting a detention!" the teacher yelled.

Predictable. If she realised it was spam maybe she'd be a bit nicer. As if. I rolled my eyes. I looked up, realising she was still talking. _Wow she shouts a lot_.

"Do you have anything to say for yourself young man?"

Oh, she's speaking. Oops. Maybe I should have been paying more attention. I'll just go with that I think she may be saying. I chuckled.

"Yes miss. I'm sorry miss. Please don't hurt me miss." I said this in complete monotone, bored, but attempting to act as if I was begging.

What I didn't see was the small red light heading towards her.

"Well since you apologised so profusely, I'll let you off detention"

"…HUH?"

 _Break_

"I still can't believe you got let off that detention," a student said to me.

Since getting let off that detention, the news seemed to spread like wildfire and I was suddenly a star in the school, despite my previous humiliation in the classroom. The English class being a double, it was now break time.

"Ah, thank goodness it's break. That lesson was so boring," I spoke aloud, "I wonder if– No why would I want to see him? Looks like I'm alone this break."

Shun was my usual break partner, being my best friend, so without him I had to chill alone. I started heading over to a free bench. Just before I started to move, however, I caught a glimpse of blue hair on someone walking past. _…Blue hair?_

I grasped my head, suddenly in pain, as if a memory was trying to resurface.

"Dan, are you okay?" Drago asked, concerned, appearing next to me.

I shook it off and stood up. "None of your business Drago," I replied, my annoyance from earlier re-appearing. "What do you want anyway?"

Drago looked at me with sad eyes. "I just wanted to apologise for my awful behaviour earlier. It was incredibly immature of me."

I looked at him, eyes softening. I wasn't one to bear a grudge, especially not against my long-term partner, Drago.

"Well in that case, I accept your apology," I replied, moving into to hug Drago tearfully. I could never be mad at him for long.

"Stop Dan, you're embarrassing me," Drago said, his voice muffled by my hug.

I leant back and stuck my tongue out at him goofily. I was feeling significantly better than earlier after that.

My smile faded when I spotted Shun. "Does Shun have anything to say?"

Shun made eye contact with me and started to walk over, ignoring the fan-girls wailing for him to come back.

"Dan–" he began.

 _Runo's POV_

"Save it Shun."

I stormed over after I saw Shun approaching Dan. I had seen what happened this morning, and even if I only considered Dan a friend, I was very overprotective of him.

"Runo, wait!" someone called after me. I ignored them.

I spoke to Shun, "Your actions greatly embarrassed Dan and you laughing made it worse."

 _Even if Dan doesn't remember me… I want to help him in anyway I can. Make some new memories along the way_.

 _Dan's POV_

I couldn't believe it. I heard the rumours about the popular heart-throb Runo. Gossip told me of her fiery and protective personality but I never thought she would stand up for _me_ of all people.

"I only wanted to apologise for that," Shun rebuked, albeit timidly.

I jumped, startled, brought back from my thoughts to the reality surrounding me.

"Fine," sighed Runo. "I'll let you off this time, but if you try anything again…" She started walking away, but not before giving Shun a murderous glare.

"So, yeah sor–" Shun tried again.

"Save it Shun." I stopped him.

"What now?" He asked. "You know I am trying to apologise, right?"

"I said save it because I already forgive you. Like I could stay mad over something as trivial as this." I embraced him.

"Aww how come I don't get tears?" Shun joked, and he and I burst out laughing.

I broke away from the hug to see Runo looking back at me. I waved and smiled at her in thanks and watched her smile before blushing and turning around.

 _Runo's POV_

 _Okay so maybe I was a little hard on Shun_ , I ranted mentally, walking away. _I can't help it if I'm overprotective_.

I heard Dan and Shun's voices so decided to turn back to see how things were. Just as I turned around I saw Dan break away from a hug with Shun. He smiled and waved at me. I smiled back but not before realising that my heart sped up when he gave me that smile. I turned around quickly, blushing furiously.

 _Aah how am I going to deal with this? I don't want to get feelings for him!_

Despite this arranged marriage, I'm seeking a way out of it as I don't feel we're compatible.

… It has no way of working out, right?

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 **Author's notes** : That's the chapter done. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter; please review to tell me what you thought (no flames please, but constructive criticism and other comments are appreciated) and I'll be super grateful to see visitors from my old account as well. See you all next time!


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's notes** : There'll be an OC introduced in this chapter.

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Disclaimer: I don't own Bakugan.

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

* * *

 _Earth_

 _Shun's POV_

"Dan?" I prodded him softly, my aggravation increasing with every second he didn't respond. "DAN!" I shouted, finally losing it.

"Yo Shun, what's up? Were you talking to me?" Dan replied.

"YES, you're such an idiot sometimes!" I yelled at him.

It was the second day of school, the day after Dan met Runo, for what he thought was the first time. As to what I knew about Runo: I remembered a bit more than Dan about our battle with Naga, but not that much more. All I remembered was Runo. Something like how overprotective she was of Dan really bugged me so I guess that's why her name stuck.

I didn't realise this now, but that meeting between Dan and Runo was predestined, and our lives would be changing significantly soon.

"Oh, sorry." He smiled sheepishly.

I got taken out of my thoughts by Dan's voice. Ah that's right. We were having _that_ conversation.

"Let me guess–" I started.

"I know what you're about to say – 'you were thinking about Runo, weren't you?' – well I wasn't!" Dan exclaimed.

"Actually I wasn't going to suggest that, so you revealed that little fact yourself. Besides, what's up with the sudden thinking of her? Do you like her or something?"

I felt my heart speed up with worry.

"Eh… Maybe. I mean she's pretty cute and I think she's single. She seems to be into me at least." He smirked.

"O-oh…" I responded, saddened. "Well. I-I'm… I'm happy for your buddy," I clapped his back half-heartedly.

 _Of course he doesn't like me back_ , I sighed mentally.

Little did Dan know, I'd been crushing on him since our first adventure… Since I was convinced to join the Battle Brawlers. He just seemed so brave, so passionate, and he was so cute as well. Growing up, his personality had grown and he was even more wonderful. He grew to be quite handsome as well.

I always had to defend him from fan-girls and the like in previous school years, but he thought it was just because I was looking out for him. I was looking out for him, but I was also jealous. I wanted Dan's attention to myself sometimes and it was hard to suppress these feelings.

I was dating Alice at the moment as she literally begged me, with puppy eyes and everything, to date her, and I couldn't find it within myself to turn her down. I told Dan about this situation, though not about my feelings for him, and he suggested ways to break up with her, to ease her pain. Even without his advice, the feelings of guilt as a result of being in a relationship with her and not Dan were starting to tear me apart. I hadn't even understood Dan's reaction to the news as he attempted to remain as blank-faced as possible throughout the conversation.

What happened yesterday was an accident and I thought he'd find it funny as well. I didn't realise he was in a bad mood already, though I don't know why. He'd normally let me in. Why not now?

I sighed. I knew if I spoke now, I'd break down. I know Dan didn't say he liked Runo for definite, but I couldn't even deal with the possibility.

I turned to walk away.

"Hey, Shun, are you okay?" Dan asked, concerned. He put his hand on my shoulder.

"Dan, I–" I murmured, blushing.

He leaned in to hug me.

I stopped what I was about to say when I heard Drago's voice. _Huh? I thought Drago was with Skyruss somewhere else, how can I hear them?_

"Should we tell her?" I heard Drago ask.

"NO!" Skyruss yelled back. "We don't have a definite answer on if he likes her, plus she isn't sure of her own feelings anyway. We don't want to mess this up, for them, or the royal family. And speaking of the royal family, we need to work on bringing back the prince of Pyrus, so we can start the royal wedding that has been planned for the last decade!"

My ears perked up with curiosity. 'I wonder what they're talking about, and if it has anything to with Runo. I get a really weird vibe from her after al.l'

"Shun…"

I looked up to see Dan looking back at me with concerned eyes. "What's up?"

I shook my head, with a silent smile and snuggled into his arms, not caring that we were in public. I wish I could tell him my feelings one day, but for now… I'm content like this.

I didn't notice the pair of eyes glaring at me.

 _Dan's POV_

I wasn't lying when I said I found Runo cute, though that didn't mean I had feelings for her. Seems to me that Shun took the _maybe_ the wrong way though.

Despite not being sure of what I think of Shun, I think that what I feel for him transcended friendship a long time ago. I was hurt when he told me about this situation with Alice but the pain lessened when he explained it properly. I couldn't bear the thought of him with anyone else.

I hadn't told him about the spam emails putting me in a bad mood, because I thought that everyone got them at some point. Why tell him about something as trivial as that? I know that Shun was put-off though as I usually told him everything. We had been best-friends for years, so there wasn't a thing we didn't know about each other. Neither of us remembered the earlier years of our lives, but we did remember that we'd always been together. I felt guilty for not telling about this spam email as I knew I'd reacted more negatively than if I'd been in a good mood.

As we were hugging, I noticed that Shun's concentration wandered. 'I wonder if it's got anything to what I said earlier?'

No. I shouldn't get my hopes up.

"Shun…" I whispered. He looked up at me with a smile.

"What's up?"

He shook his head and snuggled into my arms.

'Oh Shun...'

I want to tell him my feelings one day, but right now, I'm content like this.

 _Runo's POV_

"She _soooooo_ likes him," I heard Julie squeal.

I'd been having a sleep over with Julie and Alice as I hadn't seen them in a while, but I guess I should have predicted this. It's Julie, after all.

Julie and Alice are my childhood friends and fought with me in the battle against Naga. They, like me, were able to handle the power and responsibility that came with being heirs to the thrones of Vestroia, so got to keep their memories. Meaning, Dan and the others didn't remember them either.

"Ah, morning already?" I yawned, stretching. I usually kept this sort of facade up until I attacked viciously. "Ah, and Julie?"

I shot her a death glare.

"Yes?" she squeaked, scared.

"I told you. I. Don't. Like. Him," I said through gritted teeth. "Just because we're technically engaged, that does not mean I like him!"

I was just flustered yesterday… I mean he has such a cute smile. I sighed. _This will not do_.

"If you don't like him, how come you're always staring at him, well, everywhere?" Alice enquired slyly.

"Alice, you're exaggerating" I sighed. "Jeez. Just because we're engaged, that _does not_ mean I like him," I repeated. "Besides, before you go on about _my_ love life, how about we talk about _your_ love life. How's it going with Shun?" I smirked.

"Things are great, thank you for asking," she smirked back.

Alice had been dating Shun since the start of the summer and claimed to be totally in love with him. She kind of had to be considering that, even though he didn't know it, he was the prince of Ventus, and she the princess of Darkus, and they also had an arranged marriage.

"Seriously, how are so you calm when talking about dating?" I ranted.

She stuck her tongue out at me playfully, "hehe."

She was also the biggest shipper I'd ever seen, rivalling even Julie's fan-girl antics. Any chance she had to interfere with my love life, and she took it.

"What a pain," I sighed in exasperation.

I knew that if I needed to though, I had leverage I could use against her. Only I knew of the method she got Shun to date her.

I laughed evilly, with Julie and Alice giving me weird looks.

* * *

 _Haos Royal Palace  
Vestroia_

 _Ryuu's POV_

"Ah what a peaceful day," I exhaled blissfully.

Well, as peaceful as it could get.

Being a Guard in Haos' royal palace could be exhausting. There were days were there was nothing to do and it was quiet. Or there were days like this. It's ironic. Haos is supposed to be the most peaceful kingdom in Vestroia, but after princess Runo left for Earth, we'd been getting threats from other kingdoms demanding her back, so they could marry her into one of their royal families and therefore take Haos' power, due to her being the heir.

My outfit as a royal guard consisted of silver armour, with the symbol of Haos emblazoned on each shoulder. I also wore a cape, with the inner section a dark grey, and the outer section a brighter white, the symbol of Haos similarly on the back of the cape. Each time I put this armour on, streaks of red fought to be present on pieces of it. Nobody could explain it, especially considering this only happened to me. After the combat of colour, my armour and cape always ending up with a slight shade of red to them. In the scabbard present on my left hip, there lay a sword belonging to the royal guard; the hilt decorated with the symbol of Haos. Sometimes, when I looked I could swear I saw a glint of red on my hilt, but the sight didn't last long, and I got laughed at if I told anyone, so I always assumed it to be my imagination or a hallucination.

Today had been especially hectic. We'd had three break-ins, an attempted theft on the treasury and an attempted attack on the queen, Lars Lion. The attacker was stopped well before they reached the queen, at least.

 _I wish princess Runo was at the palace_ , I sighed once more.

I knew it was forbidden, but I had loved princess Runo since we were children. We had met by a river in the main forest one day. We always used to play together even when we weren't allowed to. They never explained why though. As I grew up, I realised it may have been because of our differing statuses. That doesn't mean it made sense to me.

Tensions were high between the kingdoms at that point. After all, prince Daniel of Pyrus had been kidnapped by the Darkus/Pyrus hybrids: Druman and Centorrior, a few years prior. Nobody knew where he'd been taken, and rewards were high for anyone that could find him.

I never understood why that would get between princess Runo and I though. I had been raised by a Haos family of farmers, always desiring to one day be a guard so I could protect my beloved princess Runo. I was a full-blood Haos citizen… I at least thought.

My family never explained the red streaks in my otherwise black hair. Haos civilians tended to have bright streaks of yellow, white or blue in their hair. My parents also never explained the shocked expressions that many passers-by wore when looking at me closely. I always asked my parents why they would have that reaction, and even checked my reflection in lakes to see if there was anything on my face. I could never see anything though. My eyes being a combined colour of red and green were also unusual within the Haos region, but I never questioned it, knowing my parents would never explain it.

After a few years of visiting each other, Runo and I were eventually caught by some patrolling guards, and she was taken from my arms forcefully, after a tearful embrace. I never saw her again after that. I heard at some point that she'd been taken to Earth on a mission, but with her memories wiped clean by an external force. Nobody knew if she'd recover any time soon.

When I learnt of this, I was sorrowful for days. My family could not get me out of the stupor I was in. After a few weeks of moping, I finally decided to get out my bed and change myself for the better. I made a vow that day. A vow to bring princess Runo back and protect her no matter what. I couldn't bear to see any harm brought to her, after all.

After the eternally-dreaded battle with Naga was finally over, him having been defeated by the newly famed Battle Brawlers, from Earth, Runo returned to Haos.

I was overjoyed to see her again, despite her not recognising me at first. When she did, after I told her a secret she told only me, her face broke out into the brightest smile one could ever see. It was breathtakingly beautiful.

We started sneaking out into the palace gardens whenever possible, and our relationship from when we were children finally continued. It wasn't destined to last long, however.

The king and queen discovered Runo had been sneaking out into the palace gardens after they couldn't find her in her quarters during a night patrol. Due to various attacks on the kingdom, and events such as prince Daniel's kidnapping, there was an increased sense of security, meaning more patrols, including checking that the princess was in her bed, regardless of privacy.

After she was caught outside, I didn't see her for a few days. The following week, a massive commotion occurred within the royal guard. It seemed that while on Earth, Runo had met a Pyrus Brawler who called himself Dan Kuso. It seemed as if he had some hidden fate.

While on Earth, a mysterious being named Wavern had restored the memories of the members of royalty. Only those who were strong enough at the time kept them, however. Runo mentioned that two other girls, Alice and Julie, also kept their memories after the battle. The other Battle Brawlers did not. The royal palace was in shock after Runo revealed the name of the one who had been claimed as a royal member of Pyrus by Wavern. It was Dan Kuso.

The king and queen of Haos lectured princess Runo for days, as she hadn't told them that, and then used a communications ability card to contact Pyrus. The king of Pyrus, Apollonir, and his wife came immediately. Runo got lectured, yet again, for not revealing such an important fact to the kingdom.

As soon as things had settled down, preparations were made. The arranged marriage that happened between Pyrus and Haos every generation, uniting them for another century, was brought back out of the dark. Princess Runo was to marry prince Daniel.

I was heart-broken. Her tear-filled protests were ignored. As much as she claimed to view prince Daniel as a friend at most, her parents countered her arguments with their belief of the destiny of the princess of Haos.

She came to me one night. She cried on my shoulder, how it wasn't fair that she was being forced into something like this. How she could never force herself to love prince Dan. I comforted her as best as I could. I said words such as how I would always be there to support her, and wanted her to feel happy, above all else.

She smiled gratefully after I said that, and gave me a hug.

A few days later, I heard of the news that princess Runo was to be travelling back to Earth, along with princess Alice and princess Julie, in attempts to reclaim prince Daniel for the throne of Pyrus. She had decided that what would make her happy was making her parents happy, so she had decided to marry him, regardless of her feelings.

When I heard that news, I felt as if I had been stabbed in the heart with a knife laced with poison. The pain was sudden and lasted for weeks after she had left.

Soon I was left with a dull, almost constant, ache in my heart, always reminded of how it was my advice that drove princess Runo to this path.

King Apollonir had been trying to contact prince Daniel but with no success. He discovered that Dan had been taken to Earth at a young age, through various investigations, but as one with dominant royal Bakugan blood, King Apollonir could not travel to Earth to retrieve him. This mission was princess Runo's responsibility.

It had been a couple of years since princess Runo had left the palace to search for prince Daniel. I was always worried for her safety, afraid that something would happen to her while I wasn't able to watch her. I knew she wanted to become stronger though, so I tried to set aside my worries to the best of my ability, deciding to instead have absolute faith in her power.

"Princess Runo…"

Even with what I told myself, I was always concerned for her. She was the one I loved after all.

"Come back home soon…"

* * *

 **Author's notes** : I hope you enjoyed that chapter! Hopefully you liked my OC Ryuu's introduction.

I'd like to thank AnimeRoxx and Eagle Master 17 for following! Thank you so much for your support! I appreciate it.

 **AnimeRoxx** : Thank you so much for the review! I'm glad you're liking it so far!

Thanks for reading! Please leave reviews on what you thought and please follow/favourite. I hope to make this the best I can for readers. I'll see you all next time.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Bakugan.

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

* * *

 _Dan's POV_

 _Buzz… Buzz_

"Dan…" Drago groaned, "DAN!"

"Huh?" I mumbled, groggily.

 _DANIEL!_

I sat upright in my bed, knocking my alarm clock off my bedside table as I did so.

"Huh? What? Where? Drago?" I questioned.

He glowered at me in response.

"I've been trying to get your attention for ages, Dan. Jeez you can be such a heavy sleeper when it comes to it," he groaned.

"Oh. Sorry bud. Was it my phone again? The spam messenger?"

"Like I would know," he snapped. "Just check it already and then put your phone on silent, okay?"

"But my phone was on–"

A quick glare from Drago shut me up.

I've been getting even more of these messages recently, and to say it drives Drago crazy is an understatement. He's already threatened to find another place to live in.

I checked my phone. A recording this time? That's new.

 _Sender_ : ?  
 _Receiver_ : Daniel Kuso

Daniel Kuso? Is this you? No matter, I shall reveal my intentions anyway. I want _you_. You hold the key to great power and I want that power. That Apollonir has been lying to you. You aren't his son. You are mine… Not taking into account biology or anything like that… *ahem*  
Respond to this message and you shall be granted access into my realm. Got it? So respond. … Have you responded yet? I'm waiting~ What? You want me to get off the phone? But it's _my_ turn. Don't you give me that look. Hey! I am in charge here! What? Don't grab the phone like that? Huh? We're still recording? Um… Reply or else. Bye!

I faced Drago, who'd also listened, and promptly burst out laughing. "What _was_ that message?"

"Hey Drago?" I spoke up, suddenly serious.

"Do you think they'll actually stop spamming me if I reply?"

"Maybe. Why don't you try it?"

"Okay," I said, getting prepared to type the response.

 _Sender_ : Daniel Kuso

Hey! So I got your message and I know I haven't responded but you know what? Your message amused me. Also I'd like for you to stop spamming my so that's why I'm replying. Please. Stop. Spamming. Me. Okay? Cool. Glad we got that sorted. Bye. Forever.

Regards, Daniel Kuso.

"And sent," I stated.

"Good. Maybe I can actually get some sleep around here," Drago said. "Wait, Dan?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you sure you sent that to the right number and everything? I mean, are you sure it had the same caller ID?"

"Um…"

I checked my phone quickly.

"It says here… It doesn't have one? This isn't the same person? And he mentioned Apollonir? What's up with this?"

"No clue. Anyway I'm off to sleep. Night."

"Don't just leave me hanging!" I exclaimed.

"Oh well," I shrugged. "I'll just see what happens in the morning."

 _? POV_

Mwahahaha, he responded. Now his power will be MINE.

"Hey, how was it? Did you like my evil laughter? What? Cliché? What do you mean by that?"

* * *

 _A few hours later_

 _Dan's POV_

 _"_ Ah Drago? What do you think today will be like? I skipped the homework Miss Kisaki set us; I hope I'll survive. I mean it's Friday, so she can't be too hard on me right? Also, I hope I see Shun soon…" I blushed at the last statement. "It's the weekend tomorrow, maybe I can see him then?" I questioned, innocently.

Drago just rolled his eyes. "What a kid."

I'd finally managed to get back to sleep after I replied, though it did take quite a while. I worried about who I sent the message to more than I thought I would, apparently.

"So what's going to be your excuse for the homework this time, Dan?" Drago asked. "...Dan?"

"Drago? What did you say?"

As much as I tried to listen, Drago's voice seemed to be getting quieter and seemed more distant every passing second. My body started to heat up as well. I smelled… Burning?

 _Shun's POV_

"Ah… I hope I see Dan soon" I sighed dreamily.

"Shun! Welcome!" a dozen fan-girls screamed.

I sighed, shaking my head. _Too many fan-girls_. It seems that I gained quite the name after defending Dan from them for so long, so they started chasing after me as well.

"Hi." I replied in monotone.

Anyway, back to Dan.

I smiled as I spotted Dan across the hall.

"Dan!" I smiled brightly, and then frowned. "Dan?" I called, running over.

"What's up buddy? Are you okay?"

He ignored me and collapsed on the floor.

"... Nurse!" I yelled, getting my thoughts back in order. I hate seeing Dan in this state, and am especially shocked for this to have happened first thing in the morning, and now of all times. Considering it hasn't happened at all in quite a while. Could it have something to do with the weird vibe I've been getting from Runo?

There's been various occasions in which Dan's collapsed like this in the past, though the doctors could never explain it. All they said, is that he always appeared to be running quite a high fever. They labelled it as an unknown and concerning condition, and researchers were investigating as I spoke.

"Dan, hang in there… please" I begged.

"SHUN KAZAMI!"

I looked up, surprised. Instead of the nurse I'd called for, running towards me was…

 _Runo's POV_

"Runo!"

"Oh hey, Julie, Alice." I grinned.

It's been a few days since the sleepover, and thank Vestroia Julie and Alice haven't bugged me about Dan since.

No. But I've been able to do quite the teasing myself. I chuckled evilly.

"So Julie, how's things with Billy?"

She blushed. "U-um well, you know. It's cool."

Billy is Julie's childhood friend. One of the minor royal members from a distant Subterra family. Nobody had heard of them so when he revealed themselves, it was quite the shock.

Julie has been crushing on Billy since she first met him as a kid, so always has the most hilarious reactions whenever I ask her about him.

Julie gained an evil smirk of her own.

Oh no.

"Well if you care about Billy so much, how's Dan?"

I should have known this was a mistake.

"Dan is–"

I cut myself off as I glanced into the distance.

"Dan, hang in there… please" I heard Shun beg.

My overprotective instincts for Dan kicked in.

"SHUN KAZAMI!"

He faced me, surprised.

Oh, he had it coming.

 _Shun's POV_

... Runo.

I started panicking. Runo had a deadly gleam in her eyes and it certainly wasn't the most pleasant experience to be faced directly with it.

"What did you do to him Shun Kazami?" Runo shouted.

"I didn't do anything, I swear!" I protested.

What right does she have to take charge of him anyway. He's _my_ friend. I started preparing to properly defend myself.

"Well I'm taking him with me," Runo concluded.

…

"HUH?"

I watched as she dragged, yes, literally dragged Dan across the floor. I heard some people sniggering at me. I shot them glares of my own and proceeded to leave.

 _Runo_ 's _POV_

I stormed away from Shun. "That damn Shun," I ranted to myself, "who does he think he is, messing with Dan like that?"

"Runo"

I stopped, confused. I swear I just heard a voice that sounded like Dan's.

"Runo!"

 _That **is** Dan's voice!_

I looked to see a previously on the floor Dan, now standing, bruised and angry.

"Runo. Why did you drag me across the floor and why did you freak out at Shun like that?" Dan yelled furiously.

"U-um," I found my voice. "I was taking, well dragging you to the nurse because Shun attacked you," I answered confidently.

Dan's eyes softened momentarily, but then hardened.

"I appreciate you care, but Shun had nothing to do with me on the floor," he stated.

"I'm so sorry Dan," I cried. "I didn't know!"

I suddenly felt a hand on my own. I gasped, realising it was Dan's.

"It's alright Runo, but can you please apologise to Shun? It wasn't fair on him. He does nothing but look out for me."

I nodded an affirmative and prepared to move.

"Also, if you want to know, this isn't unusual. I sometimes get into states like this. It's like my body temperature increases rapidly and it can't handle the sudden heat."

My ears perked up like that. Does it have something to do with his ancestors? I know that there have been records from the past, explaining how descendants of Pyrus, if unable to contain their inner powers, have been affected like this.

I shook my head and continued walking. I need to apologise to Shun, if that's what Dan wants, even if it is a very reluctant apology. … I don't trust Shun. I _can't._ Nobody knows much about the mysterious Ventus royal family after all. All I've been told is that he was, according to all records, raised in isolation. Even the current Queen of Ventus has never turned up to any of the Vestroia council meetings; a meeting between the descendants of the Ancients, held every 5 years. Nothing else is known.

 _Dan's POV_

I watched Runo's retreating back, quizzically. She'd stopped for a second, as if in thought.

 _Does she know something about my condition?_

"Nah. She can't know anything like that, can she? The lack of sleep must have left me imagining things" I said to Drago. "...Drago?" I received a snore in response. I sweat-dropped. "Sleeping huh? I guess you must be tired after being woken up all of the time by me. Sorry bud."

I laughed at his antics until I was hit with a sudden and intriguing time, in comparison to all the others times I'd collapsed like this, my body felt much hotter. Could it have something to do with message?

I shrugged. "Who knows?"

* * *

 _The next day_

 _Runo's POV_

Yesterday was embarrassing. I didn't realise my lack of trust for Shun made me become that overprotective of Dan. Regardless,

"Why isn't Dan calling me?"

To say I'm concerned is an understatement. I tried messaging my mother, to get a message across to the king of Pyrus, but it was unable to connect. Probably due to the difficulties of connection between worlds. The only time it actually connected, my mother asked me if I'm in love with Dan yet. That romance fanatic.

I suppose I _have_ to be if I'm going to marry him. I sighed. Though, to be honest, my heart does flutter slightly whenever I see him. He just reminds me of someone so much, I just don't know who.

"The lack of connection is frustrating but I guess I should have expected this. This is my mission after all."

I managed to get Dan's number recently, convincing him that I'm really interested in being friends. Though he has yet to message me.

"Maybe he's _over_ you," Julie snickered.

I walked over, ready to punch Julie in the face.

"Why is that the only thing you pick up on?"

My violent behaviour, if enraged, is well known, along with my quick-temper, so many knew to not anger me. Julie saw this as a good teasing point though.

"You guys, stop it!" Alice yelled.

"Alice why do you always have to be the peacemaker?" I shouted. "After all, you're part of the Darkus royal family, it goes against your nature, right?"

Alice glared at me and then Julie with stormy eyes. I don't know about Julie, but I was quaking in fear.

And people thought _I_ was scary.

"Runo, what the heck? And Julie, apologise to Runo, right now!" Alice shouted.

I guess I know not to say anything like that about the Darkus royal family. I understand it isn't true anyway. There's a lot of prejudice against them because of suspicious behaviour in the past, but most of the Darkus citizens and certainly Alice are actually the most peaceful people out there.

Julie was screaming at this point. She'd never been one for getting yelled at.

I would have normally found this situation funny, if directed at someone else. I mean, sure, Alice is just about the kindest person I know, but when she gets angry… She gets _really_ angry.

"I'm sorry Runo, please forgive me," Julie begged, getting down on her knees and bowing.

"You're forgiven, Julie," I said reluctantly, eyes turned away. I was a bit embarrassed at my reaction to Julie in all honestly. "Also, Alice, I am really sorry about my comment, I hope you can forgive me. I should know better to react to badly to Julie now. I know it's only teasing."

"It's fine Runo," Alice said, her eyes softening.

I've never understood how Alice is able to do that. To change moods so quickly.

But there was something odd this time. I could have sworn I heard a slight waver in her voice.

Has something happened? She had been outside my room earlier, for quite a long time, and her eyes seemed slightly red when she came back in. I didn't ask about it though, as I knew she would dislike that.

 _Dan's POV_

"Hey Shun, are you ready?"

Today being a Saturday, I'd decided to go to the park and Shun volunteered to go with me. This was something to be very happy about. I'd barely been able to see Shun outside of lessons for the remainder of the week in school and it felt awful.

"Yeah, sorry about the wait. I'll be out now," Shun replied.

After a few minutes, we reached the park. Shun and I had been to the park a lot over the years; it fortunately being quite close to our houses.

"Want to race Dan?" Shun asked.

Of course he would ask to do that. Every single time we did this, he won.

"Fine. But only to the other end of the park and back," I negotiated.

"'Kay. Let's go!"

I watched Shun take off and prepared to jog after him. Considering I always lost, I realised that it would be more enjoyable if I took a more leisurely jog around the park. Shun was always so fast that he never noticed and ended up doing extra laps anyway.

I started to move but stopped suddenly, feeling my body temperature rise. I groaned. "Oh not again!"

 _Shun's POV_

"Dan? Are you keeping up okay?" I smirked to myself. discretely.

Dan probably didn't realise but I recognised that he'd never been able to keep up with me but I guess he didn't know that I knew. I was well aware of his preferred jogging.

I glanced behind me to see where he gotten to.

"Dan?"

He still stood at the starting point, but he seemed unsteady on his feet.

I ran back over as quickly as I could. I wasn't prepared for what I was about to hear.

 _Dan's POV_

I've managed to hold it off for this long but I know I'm not going to last much longer. I would call for Shun but he's too far away. I thought to my contacts.

 _Ah, Runo! I get a weird vibe from her. Maybe she knows what's going on?_

I quickly dialled her number.

"FINALLY! Why have you not been calling me Dan? I've been worried sick!" Runo shouted.

"I'm so sorry Runo, I can exp–"

"You've been seeing another girl, admit it!" she screeched.

"Huh? No. How is that relevant anyway?"

"Because… Dammit I think I may love you okay?"

"D-Dan…"

I looked up, shocked.

"Shun? I can explain–"

It's always at the worst times when it really hits you hard.

"Shun… No. Aaaah" I screamed in pain.

"Dan, no!"

 _Shun's POV_

"I love you!"

Runo's voice.

I halted, stunned, already feeling the tears starting to form.

"D-Dan…"

He stared at me, shocked.

"Shun? I can explain–"

But is there any point anymore?

"Shun… No. Aaaah" he screamed in pain.

"Dan, no!" I shouted.

I ran over to where he had collapsed on the floor.

"Dan? Speak to me!"

I felt for his temperature. He was burning. Hotter than ever before.

"Dan…"

 _Runo's POV_

"Shun?" I heard Dan say.

 _What's Shun doing there?_

The rest of their conversation was muffled until I heard Dan emitting a scream of pain.

"No, Dan!"

 _Burn… BURN_

"That voice. No!"

I heard what sounded like fire and my phone cut.

* * *

 **Author's notes** : Thank you for reading; I hope you enjoyed!

I'd like to thank Angel-of-Anime Mizumo, Arnya Demitri, Ani Pendragon and Maka A. Kurosaki for following and Darkus Omega Lenidas and Irene Malfoys for following and adding this to your favourites. Thank you so much for your support! I appreciate it.

 **AnimeRoxx** : Thanks for the review, I appreciate it! Thanks for reading as well, it means a lot!

 **Ani Pendragon** : Thanks for the review! I hope you enjoy!

Okay, I'll see you! Please follow/favourite/review; I'd really appreciate it.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own Bakugan.

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

* * *

 _I heard what sounded like fire and my phone cut._

* * *

 _Earth_

 _Runo's POV_

I stood there, stunned into silence. "Dan?"

"Dan answer me!" I started sobbing uncontrollably. Falling to the floor, my hands covered my face, in any attempt to disguise the now evident tear-tracks. "Dan, please answer…"

"Runo, what happened?" Julie asked, concerned, slowly walking up to me.

"Dan…" I murmured inaudibly, barely able to speak due to my misery.

"Runo. Get a hold of yourself!" Alice shouted suddenly.

Julie looked at Alice, shocked. "Alice–"

I stood up, shaking. "No Julie, she's right."

"Runo?" Julie questioned.

"Let me hear it Alice," I stated.

"Good. Call Shun and see if he knows anything," Alice said.

I glanced at her curiously. _The waver in her voice is still present but she seems to have much more control over it than before. Maybe she realised I could hear it before? No matter. There are bigger things to worry about right now_.

"... That's a good idea. If anyone knows what's happened to Dan, it's going to be Shun, his best friend," I said, albeit hesitantly. While I don't trust Shun, I know that right now I'm going to have to get over that, as he is currently the only clue I have as to what happened to Dan. I can only call him through Dan's phone though. I hope it still works after what happened.

 _Shun's POV_

I stared at Dan's body, shocked. It looked like it was slowly being consumed by a something like a blood-red fire. When I touched it, to investigate, it wasn't hot though. Additionally, strangely enough, I couldn't hear any sounds coming from Dan.

"Is he dying?" I whispered, feeling the first tears form.

 _Buzz… Buzz…_

"Huh? Dan's phone?"

I looked over to Dan's phone, still clutched in his palm after his earlier call. I checked the caller ID.

"…Runo"

I felt resentment build inside of me. I promptly shook my head to clear my mind of any negative thoughts. My personal feelings for Runo aside, I need to ask her if she knows anything in relation to Dan. There's that weird vibe I get from her after all.

"Hello?" I said, my voice slightly hoarse.

"Shun? Are you with Dan?"

"Yeah." I heard my tone become slightly bitter.

A moment's silence.

"Look. I need to talk about Dan. Is that okay with you? I'm concerned."

"Okay. Sorry. Anyway. HOW CAN YOU BE SO CALM?" I said, my voice raising in volume. People started to turn and stare. I flinched away from their gazes.

"Shun. I'M NOT CALM!" Runo exclaimed. "But freaking out isn't going to help Dan! Now where are you?"

I hesitated, not wanting to reveal what I felt was the private area I spent most time with Dan in.

"Shun?"

"… At the park," I said quietly.

 _Runo's POV_

"Alright, he's at the park" I stated, barely satisfied.

"Nice work Runo," Alice complimented, while Julie stared at me admiringly.

 _Dan…_ My thoughts wandered. _What would I do without you? …You're like my… sibling? My best friend?_ I shook my head, clearing my mind. _Let's not go there right now. That's way too complex and there are other things to be worrying about right now_.

"Runo?"

I started. "Y-yes? Oh, right. Park. Okay, I'll head there now. If you want to come with me then go for it; I may need your support. Also, Marucho. He may be needed. Is anyone in contact with him?" I asked.

"Oh! Yeah, I have his number," Julie opted. "It was a sunny day, and it was fairly quiet out. He timidly approached me and–"

I stopped her. "Julie, while I'm sure your story is beautiful, I believe we have somewhere to be right now." I sweat-dropped. _Julie really loves her romance fantasy stories_.

 _Shun's POV_

 _Buzz… Buzz…_

I noticed Dan's phone going off again and assumed it to be Runo. I picked up the phone quickly, not wanting to draw any more attention to myself or the scene that lay before me.

"Shun, we're at the park entrance. Julie, Alice and Marucho are with me. Where exactly are you?" Runo asked.

"I'm near the fountain," I whispered, barely caring if I was heard.

It was _Runo_ I was talking to after all. Despite my better judgement and desire to protect Dan, I still held resentment towards Runo because of what she had done.

"Good, we'll be there as soon as possible," she replied.

Of course she's calm. I don't know why she thinks she has the right to care about Dan like that anyway.

 _By God, I am bitter_.

 _Runo's POV_

"He's by the fountain, let's go guys!" I exclaimed. _Just a few more minutes and I'll get to see Dan_! I let out a sigh of relief.

We arrived at the fountain to see Shun on his knees, sobbing over Dan's torso. My gaze sharpened. It wasn't just that I saw. _What **is** that fire covering Dan? I know members of the Pyrus royal family commonly use their flames to transport beings across dimensions, but this shade? I haven't received any notification of this either. No. It can't be? The–_

"Runo?"

My thoughts were cut short by Julie's inquisitive voice.

 _Ah, right_ , I shook myself back to reality and subsequently stormed over to Shun.

"Shun?" I questioned furiously. "Shun!"

 _Shun's POV_

I looked up after hearing Runo's voice, but before I got to speak, I felt extreme pain on my cheek. She had slapped me.

"Runo? What was that–"

"Shun, get a hold of yourself!" Runo exclaimed.

I noticed Alice behind Runo, smiling lightly, seemingly proud of her. I flinched. I was not prepared to see Alice now. Not after–

"Now. _What_ happened to Dan?"

I gestured to where Dan had been, too exhausted and clueless to explain. ... Wait. _Had_ been?

 _Runo's POV_

"Shun, where's Dan?" I turned to him, tears in my eyes.

"He was here–"

"You did something, didn't you?" I shouted.

"No!" he yelled in response. "I would never do anything to harm Dan! Why would I harm the one _I_ love?"

I was stunned. "Y-you l-love Dan?" I stuttered.

"Yes." He glared at me.

"B-but I thought you were going out with Alice?" I questioned, confused.

Is _that_ why Alice was acting weirdly before? That would explain a lot. But what about the arranged marriage? Oh this would cause some _major_ complications.

"We broke up," Alice interjected. "He told me that he had feelings for someone else and felt too guilty to lead me on like how he was."

"And you're okay with that?" I questioned, turning to face her with an incredulous expression.

"As long as Shun is happy, I'm happy. Besides, _if_ he ever falls in love with me again, I'll be waiting." She blushed with tears in her eyes, smiling faintly.

Lies. As if she's going to wait. That " _if_ " said it all - I think she meant " _when_ ". I know that Alice doesn't give up that easily. Especially not when I know she's _that_ possessive over Shun. Something's going on. She's never been this easy to break up with.

In the past, Alice has had a few boyfriends, but there was this one that she was especially attached to. Scarily so. When he tried to break up with her, she cried and cried and held onto his arm and wouldn't let go. She begged him consistently to stay, to not leave her and lose all of their cherished memories, but he insisted it wasn't going to work out. This happened to be during a torrential season as well, which didn't make the scene any prettier.

He left her… He left her in a puddle of rain mixed with her own tears. After such a horrific experience, Alice thought she could never love again. Then she met Shun. He really didn't know what he signed up for by ever dating Alice. Alice seemingly letting him go that easily? I know there's something suspicious going on and I can't figure out Alice's thought process.

I glanced over to her.

 _I need a way to figure her out_ , I contemplated. _Wait. Wasn't there – Oh yeah. **That** conversation_.

I faced Shun and Alice.

"Alice…" Shun murmured, voice filled with appreciation.

"Shun," she replied, smiling.

"Aww," Julie cooed. "That's _soooo_ cute~ But guys, don't you think you're forgetting something~?"

 _…Dan_. I looked to where his body had been. "Where is he?" I asked, my voice shaking.

* * *

 _?_

 _Dan's POV_

"Where am I? … Drago? Anyone?"

I felt as if I was floating in a endless space. I tried to open my eyes but couldn't seem to get them to work. I couldn't move my body at all either.

I was scared. As much I hate to admit it. I always tried to keep up the tough-guy act after all. Shun is the only one who's ever seen my true, and sometimes vulnerable side. He's the only one I fully trust.

"…I wish he was with me now."

I gave myself a quick once-over. Despite just having one of my _attacks_ , it seemed as if all traces of the burning feeling had gone. Alternatively, my body felt lighter than usual though. I tried to open my eyes once again, and found I could this time.

I was initially faced with a blinding light, though it eventually settled down. It took a few moments, but my eyes eventually re-processed the surroundings… Not that I could make out that much.

"Hello? Anyone here?"

I had stopped floating a moment ago, once I felt gravity kick in. My body still felt a bit sore, however.

"Oh~ He's here! _Yay_ ~" I heard a voice. "Ow, what did you hit me for? You're saying I'm not acting tough enough for a villain? I'm too carefree? Take that back! I have serious moments too, you know? Don't you talk down to me! Anyway, I'm heading there now, so don't interrupt me this time, got it? Sheesh."

All of a sudden, footsteps could be heard approaching, louder by the second, causing me to mentally prepared myself for what was to come.

"Oh hey! You're here! You um… You didn't hear that did you?"

I nodded to say I had heard.

"...Oh. Well if you could just forget that, that would be great." He released a toothy grin. "You're probably wondering who I am actually, especially after that _message_. You'll find out, at some time. In the meantime, there are things I want to do~"

I blanched.

 _What does he mean by that? Also, **message**? Is he–?_

"So yeah, let's get started, _Daniel Kuso_ " he said in a sinister tone.

"No–" I started.

"Yes," he denied me. "Now. Where were we? Brother, are you coming? ...Good. I have plans for this boy, so you'd better help me."

He approached me slowly, while I protested. "No. I swear–!"

He silenced me. I fell back, panicking.

 _How I wish Shun was here. Surely he would know what to do. Shun..._

* * *

 **Author's notes** : That's the chapter done; I hope you enjoyed! The next chapter will be entirely new content - so no content at all from _The Chosen One_ "

I'd like to thank Mirai Haruka and ShadowFireHime-Sama for following and adding this to your favourites, and star the wolf for adding this to your favourites. Thank you so much for your support! I appreciate it.

 **AnimeRoxx** : Thank you so much! It means a lot. Thank you so much for the review!

Thank you for reading! Please follow/favourite/review; I'd really appreciate it. See you!


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own Bakugan.

* * *

 **Chapter 5  
**

* * *

 _?_

 _Dan's POV_

"Dan."

"Eurgh, give me five more minutes. I don't want to go to school…" I murmured, still groggy.

"Dan, wake up! You're going to be late for school, yet again!" Drago yelled.

"… Huh?"

I shot upright, my body protesting due to the sudden change from the comfortable position.

"S-school? No! My teacher will be so mad if I'm late _again_!"

"Just how many times have you been late?" He sweat-dropped.

"A-anyway," I purposefully avoided his inquisitive gaze, embarrassed, and looked to the clock. "I'll check the time, huh? It's Saturday! Why would you tell me I have school, Drago?" I cried.

He smirked. "You're going out with Shun today, aren't you? I didn't want you to be late picking him up"

"Oh yeah!" I beamed. "I get to spend some alone time with Shun today~"I exclaimed happily. "I'll go pick him up. Thanks for waking me up Drago; I appreciate it!"

 _Static. A burning feeling. Is this really how this happened? It must be, surely?_

"Dan, let's race!" Shun smiled at me.

"Again?"

He chuckled. "I know you like racing me"

I groaned. "Fine, you're on!"

He seems to never realise I lag behind him whenever we race. Not that I'm complaining. His speed is at an insane level. I don't know who can keep up with him.

… _This feels familiar._

 _Shun? It's happening again… I feel like I'm burning, help me._

I felt my temperature rise.

"Are you kidding me? Wait, my contacts! Who to call…" I contemplated.

 _Don't do that. You don't know what will happen. When will I be able to give him the truth?_

"Ah Runo!" I called her, and thankfully she picked up quickly.

"FINALLY, why haven't you been calling me Dan?" she yelled down the phone.

 _No._

"I… I love you, okay?"

 _Shun…_

I could see his face now. Utter shock and distraught being his expression.

 _It's not what you think._

"Dan… Why?"

 _Don't cry. Please. Let me explain it. A desperate cry..._ Shun!

 _? POV_

"He appears to be suffering quite a bit. I wonder, just what was going on when we took him? But then, who cares? As long as he's suffering… And I'm evil! I'm allowed to be like this. I swear I'll become more serious, you'll see, brother! Dammit, stop laughing at me!"

* * *

 _Earth_

 _Shun's POV_

"Alice, Julie, where do you think he's gone? Answer me! You don't think…?"

Noise. That's all they are. Mindless sounds, voices with no meaning. Everything was fine with … Alice? But then it hit me. …Dan. To say I'm in shock is an understatement. It's as if everything is lost. I'm in pain. So worried about Dan it hurts. I've been standing here, isolated from the others. As if they can understand how I feel. I was always concerned about Dan's condition but I never thought this would happen. There's no way.

"Shun."

A voice trying to break through my thoughts.

"Shun!"

I whipped my head round in anger and spoke harshly. "What?"

"I-I just wanted to see how you were doing" Alice spoke timidly.

Alice? I've already hurt her enough; did I really have to yell?

"O-oh, I'm sorry for yelling, Alice. I'm just worried about Dan."

"Don't worry about it." She smiled softly at me.

 _Just how can she be so strong?_ I wondered.

"Alice, where are you?" Runo called.

"Over here, with Shun." She replied.

I knew what was to come wouldn't be good.

Reaching us, Runo exclaimed, "Shun! Snap out of it! I appreciate that you're worried, but we all are. Consider _my_ feelings!"

" _Your_ feelings?" I sneered, feeling the bitterness rise within me. "I'm sure _your_ feelings for Dan are _so_ special"

"What do you mean by that-" Runo started to yell.

"Stop it!"

"Alice, what?" Runo questioned.

"Now is _not_ the time to fight! We need to find Dan, okay? So call a truce!" Alice checked us over to see if we were going to follow her orders, before speaking directly to Runo. "Runo, come over with me. I want to talk to you about something."

Runo sent me an intimidating glare, before speaking innocently to Alice, as if she hadn't just done that. "Shun, you better behave, got that? Okay, let's go, Alice."

I watched as they walked away, until I was sure they were out of my sight.

"Jeez. Who does Runo think she is anyway?" I said under my breath.

"Don't you think you're acting childishly, Shun?"

"A-ack, Marucho? When did you get there?" I yelled, shocked.

"I was always here," he stated. "Anyway, I don't know what's going on with you and Dan but don't take it out on Runo, okay?"

"…Fine. Sorry, I'm just stressed"

"Don't worry, we all are." He smiled at me. "I'm going to do some investigating around the area, do you want to join?"

"I just need some time to cool down, but I'll join later."

I watched him leave, joining Julie as they walked around the area and talked, presumably about their investigation.

"Honestly. I need to calm. Panicking won't do Dan any good." I sighed.

 _Shun!_

"Huh? Dan? Dan, is that you?" I looked around worriedly.

"Hey, everyone, something's happ–" I stopped myself. I didn't know if I could count on anyone here, and I especially didn't want to tell Runo something like this. I growled possessively, and muttered under my breath. "Dan's _mine_."

I shook my head, mentally sighing. "I'm just too bitter," I concluded. "Where are Runo and Alice anyway? After they left me I haven't seen them."

"I think they went to Runo's house," Marucho said, appearing beside me suddenly. "Julie just mentioned it"

"Really? Why?" I questioned boisterously.

"Shun, I don't know if you noticed but…" He began.

 _Runo's POV_

"We're here!"

I got away from Shun as soon as I could. _He may think we ditched him, but there's no way I can tell him anything. I don't trust him_.

" _Why_ did we come to your house exactly, Runo?" Julie enquired curiously.

"I… I uh just wanted to hang out?" I answered as innocently as I could.

"Don't pull that on us Runo. We're not stupid! You don't trust Shun, do you?" Alice yelled.

 _Damn. Alice hit it head-on. But what I think of her right now anyway? I didn't miss that sneaky look she gave Shun. … Am I really losing trust that rapidly? But Dan… Who can I trust? How do I know they don't have anything to do with it? I… I love him? I'm supposed to protect him!_

"Runo, are you okay?" Julie asked nervously. "We know you're worried about Dan, but we can help you! We're here for you to lean upon!"

"... Thanks Julie." I gave her a genuine smile.

Julie always knows how to make a situation seem better. With her bright smile and cheerful personality, nothing ever seems to go wrong in her company.

"So you wanted to discuss what happened, I'm guessing?" Julie asked.

"You're exactly right. Let's. The first factor to question is–"

"The fire Dan was bathed in?" Alice interrupted.

"Yeah." I nodded. "Did you notice the shade of red it was? I know that the members of the Royal Family of Pyrus typically use their power over flames to transport themselves or others but didn't the colour of the fire seem a little… I don't know, dark to you?"

"Woah Runo, that's a lot to take in," Alice stated. "What do you think the darker colours in the fire meant?"

"Well I know it can't have been Apollonir summoning Dan, plus, he would have mentioned it to my mother who in turn would have mentioned it to me. Maybe it was–" I gasped in shock. "You don't think…?"

 _Shun's POV_

"They don't trust us?" I exclaimed furiously. That's the part I heard at least. "Why not? What have we done?"

"Well it's not exactly _us_ , but more like _you_. I've only heard rumours, but apparently you're not so popular where we came from" Marucho said.

"But I don't even remember anything about where we came from!" I replied indignantly.

I don't know why I'm complaining though… It's not like I trust _her_.

"Anyway," I started. "I don't know why we're still here, when we should be searching for Dan! The seconds are passing and I still don't know what's happened to him. I'm so worried"

"Shun…" Marucho gave a sympathetic smile. "It _will_ be fine. Okay? How about, I'll call Julie and check what's going on?"

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak.

 _Runo's POV_

"I'm going to Haos," I stated.

"What? Why?" Julie enquired.

"Well there's not much I can do here, and maybe Apollonir or the others know what's going on. ... Before you ask. No. I'm not taking Shun. Heck, I'm not even telling him!"

"We weren't going to ask that Runo. Are you sure you're not letting your personal feelings get in the way of your rationality?" Alice questioned.

"N-no! O-of course not. Jeez."

"You're acting weird Runo," Alice said. "Besides, I don't get what _your_ problem is anyway."

That's right. After all, what happened with Shun…

"You're right. I'm sorry, Alice"

"Forgiven. Anyway, are you going alone?"

"Yeah. I don't want you or Julie to get into any danger. I don't know the state of Vestroia right now, but I have a bad feeling."

 _And I don't trust you Alice. You're acting really weird and I question your stability after what just happened. Surely you're feeling down? But it feels like something more_ I concluded in my mind.

"Runo, but–" Julie began to complain.

I shook my head. "That's my plan. I'm going to Haos to find Dan. Or at least find out some more information. I just received the okay from mother to go there, so I should be going there any second… Yeah. See you guys. Stay safe." I put up my hand in farewell as I felt myself being transported.

 _I will find you… Dan_.

 _Julie's POV_

"And she's gone," Alice stated.

I turned to her, slightly annoying at her calm, but seemingly almost bored state. Maybe she got like this after her rejection. I shot her a brief scowl. "…You could be slightly more worried about Runo, you know?"

"Nah. She'll be fine," Alice replied nonchalantly.

"Hmm." I growled. "Anyway. You're acting weird, Alice. Explain."

"Hm? Suspicious are we? And I thought you were the clueless one of the group! Ha, this is news!"

"Huh? What do you mean by that?" I asked, getting increasingly annoyed.

Alice was starting to get on my nerves. She could act a bit more concerned, _especially_ after that lecture she gave Runo before we got to the park.

The lack of response from her didn't please me.

"Alice?–" I started.

"Hold it. I'm thinking," she said, holding up her hand to stop me from talking, and ignoring my bristling at her comment. "That's it. Okay, I'm going to… Haos."

"What? You're going to leave me too?" I questioned, starting to feel scared.

"I'm concerned, yeah? Besides, you have Marucho to help you, so there's no need to worry?"

But no mention of Shun?

"I'm off, okay? Stay safe… or whatever," she shrugged.

"Wait–!"

But it was too late. She'd already started the transferring process. But that light didn't look the same as the one that Runo was bathed in?

"No… Alice. Don't leave me too!"

I fell to the floor. Even though I'd never admit it, I felt vulnerable without Runo and Alice around. They made me feel safe.

"Alice!" I cried.

* * *

 _?_

 _? POV_

"It appears he's struggling. What do you think, brother? Have I done well. Soon my plans will be complete... I'm looking forward to that day."

 _Dan's POV_

I opened my eyes slowly.

"Aha! It Looks like you're awake!"

"Huh? Who are you? ...Wait! You're the guy that kidnapped me!" I shouted, enraged.

"I summoned you. I didn't take you by force, so…" he stuck his tongue out at me goofily.

Eurgh this guy.

"Where are we anyway?"

"You. You don't need to know that. After all, soon your memories will be nothing but a speck of dust to be swept away and you will be in our control~"

"What exactly did you do to me while I was out?" I asked suspiciously.

"You don't need to know. Anyway, before your memory leaves, you've got a visitor. You may know her. Here she is now."

"Hello Dan."

"Is that… Alice, is that you?"

All I saw was a sinister smile and then everything started to fade.

"Have a nice dream Daniel Kuso..."

* * *

 **Author's notes** : That's the chapter done; I hope you enjoyed!

I'd like to thank Kairi Skyes for following. I'd also like to thank ArnciaCielo27, silvern-cookie and Incineroar for following and adding this to your favourites. Thank you so much for your support! I appreciate it.

Really sorry if I missed anyone in the previous chapters. My email has been acting up with some notifications; I've not been getting all of them. I honestly really do appreciate you following/favouriting/reviewing; it means the world to me!

Thanks for staying with me! I'll see you ! Please follow/favourite and review; it would be much appreciated.


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